St Elphin's CE Primary School

At St Elphin’s we offer our children a high-quality mathematics education that nurtures enjoyment and curiosity around the subject while developing an understanding of the world that we live in. As a staff, we establish a positive learning environment which focuses on fluency, problem solving and reasoning in varied, engaging and exciting ways. This in turn enables our children to become fluent in fundamental maths, whilst ensuring varied and frequent practice of solving increasingly challenging and complex problems to develop their conceptual understanding. 

As a school, we use ‘Maths No Problem!’ as it emphasises a deep understanding of mathematical concepts through a concrete-pictorial-abstract framework. Children start with hands-on activities using physical objects, then move to pictorial representations, and finally to abstract symbols. This progression helps students to grasp complex ideas more readily.

‘Maths No Problem!’ also focuses on problem-solving and real-world applications, encouraging students to think critically and creatively. By engaging in collaborative learning, children learn from their peers, enhancing their communication and teamwork skills. The curriculum promotes resilience, as students tackle challenging problems, fostering a growth mindset. This approach not only builds a strong foundation in mathematics but also nurtures confident learners who are well-prepared for future academic challenges. Our aim is to make maths enjoyable and meaningful for every student. You can read more about the theory and research here: https://mathsnoproblem.com/primary-mathematics-series

At St. Elphin’s reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Our aim is to teach children to become confident and competent readers by learning how to read and by developing comprehension skills which they can apply across the curriculum, as well as developing a life-long love of reading for pleasure. Parents are actively encouraged to be involved in their child’s reading journey throughout their time at school. 

Alongside this, in EYFS, the children begin a programme of systematic, synthetic phonics. The children experience a very interactive, multi-sensory approach to the teaching of synthetic phonics following the ‘Floppy’s Phonics’ programme.  This programme incorporates a methodical approach of revisit and review, teach, practise and apply. The children work through the phases progressively and at a pace which fully embeds their learning. We use Floppy’s Phonics Decodable books in EYFS and KS1 with targeted phonics group in KS2 to ebbed and secure phonics skills and knowledge.

Reading Comprehension:

To ensure that our children are given a broad and balanced English curriculum and develop a love of reading, we have a structured approach to the teaching of reading. Reading is sequenced across school, so the children can develop the reading skills they need to become competent and enthusiastic readers.  Reading comprehension is taught using our Complete Comprehension scheme. Each week, children will complete five lessons centered around a focus text. These lessons will include:

Lesson 1: Vocabulary and language

Lesson 2: Grammar and punctuation

Lesson 3: Modeling and practicing a key comprehension area

Lesson 4: Mixed comprehension

Lesson 5: Writing task linked to key text

By employing this consistent approach, all pupils will be exposed to a range of genres and texts, while also developing the knowledge needed to fully understand what they are reading.

At St Elphin’s Primary School, we use writing from across the curriculum to assess where children are working at in writing. As a picture of the child as a writer is gradually built up across the year, gaps in learning can clearly be seen and most importantly they can be addressed. Key Performance Indicators are used to show the key features expected in a child’s writing according to their year group. Teachers use the document from their current year group as well as ensure that they are clear as to what has been taught previously so that all learning is constantly reinforced and re-taught. This will enable us to ensure that children reach the end of Y6 with the knowledge and skills needed to achieve age related expectations.